American Muslim Organizations Condemn ISIS Terrorism

A coalition of major American Muslim organizations issued the following press release denouncing the ISIS for the murder of American journalists.

(WASHINGTON DC - 09/03/2014) - The US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), a coalition of several national and local organizations, today condemns a terrorist and anti-Islam group for a video purporting to show the gruesome beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff.

The murder of innocent civilians is immoral, illegal, barbaric, and in direct contravention of the major tenets of Islam and Islamic law. No cause or purpose is served by this heinous act other than a clear manifestation of this group's cruel and un-Islamic nature.

"We are outraged that we once again find ourselves in the position to condemn this organization that calls itself the "Islamic State", also known by the acronym ISIS, for killing Mr. Sotloff, especially so soon after its members murdered journalist James Foley," said Oussama Jammal, USCMO secretary general.

"We recognize that all innocent life is sacred and so we also denounce this group for the rampant violence, terror, murder and mayhem it is spreading throughout the region against Muslims and non-Muslims alike. They do not represent me, American Muslims or the world's 1.5 billion Muslims. ISIS must know that such dreadful acts will never be condoned and will be strongly deplored," Mr. Jammal emphasized.

During these difficult days, the USCMO also reminds the public to avoid spreading Islamophobia by using the actions of ISIS to characterize and demonize all Muslims, globally and here in the United States. We unequivocally denounce ISIS, its mentality, and tactics under any circumstances.

"We at the USCMO offer our heartfelt condolences to Mr. Sotloff's family. We pray they find solace and we pray that Mr. Sotloff's murderers will be brought to justice," Mr. Jammal said.

The USCMO also demands the immediate release of British hostage David Cawthorne Haines, who was seen in the current video and whom the group threatened to execute as well.

Newer Post

Zafar Siddiqui is a co-founder of the Islamic Resource Group (IRG), an educational outreach organization dedicated to building bridges between Muslims and people of other faiths. He currently serves as the director of interfaith and civic relations at IRG. Read more about Zafar Siddiqui.

Christianity and Islam are the two dominant religious groups in our world. According to the Pew Research Center, the number of Muslims worldwide will be "nearly as numerous as Christians" by 2050. The study also points to the interesting statistic that for the first time in history, the number of Christians and Muslims will be 2.9 billion and 2.8 billion respectively. In view of this, interfaith relations assume an added significance. Christians and Muslims have a duty to work toward peace and betterment of humanity through a shared framework. It is imperative that the mainstream leadership take an active role in promoting positive relations that are based on the universal principles of these two world religions.

The generalizations that we see in response to the terrorist attack in France are blurring the reality. These two hashtags give us a better understanding of the reality - an individual who paid with his life to protect others, and another individual who is being asked to answer for someone else's crime.